Dr. Zhongjun Cao - Will he get justice?

I have been following this story since the beginning. It happened on January 12th 2008 in Footscray in Melbourne Australia. Footscray was the place where i used to live while i was studying in Australia.

The story goes like this. A group of eight young Australians met at McDonalds at the corner of Ballarat road and Gordon St in Footscray. A person by name John Caratozzolo,21, who was the leader of that group told others that he need to change his phone and he thinks Indians have a better phones. He asked his mates to join him in "Curry Bashing". Curry Bashing is the term used in Australia to assault and rob Indians of their valuables. It was already dark and these thugs went down looking for Indians on the streets, instead they stumbled upon Zhongjun Cao who was a Chinese academic at Victoria university. They mistook him for an Indian and assaulted him. One guy lifted Dr.Cao and dropped him head down. Caratazzalo kicked Dr.Cao's head so hard that he injured his own legs. They relieved Dr.Cao of his mobile phone, wallet and left him to die on street. Later that night the group assaulted another Mauritian student Binesh Mosaheb in Sunshine whom the gang mistook to be an Indian.

After that trial was held in Victoria's supreme court, two teenage thugs were given just pat on the wrist and handed over counselling and detention as punishment. The ring leader John Caratozzolo was sentenced to maximum 15 years in jail with being eligible for parole after 10 years. Another thug was sentenced to minimum of 6 years in jail (Read here).

These is just a plain injustice. I really feel for Dr.Cao's wife and daughter.They have to suffer throughout their life but these thugs will be out in the public within 2-10 years. Australia should get tough on criminals. Some Indian poilce may be corrupt but they treat these kind of thugs really the way they should be treated. This case encourages thugs to commit crime and getaway with it. If courts and Police doesn't get tough, crime will explode in Australia.